A recent stat revealed that an incredible 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine. Where your property management company ranks on those search engines can mean the difference between success and mediocrity. This is why search engine optimization (SEO) is so important. But what if you’re just starting out and have a limited budget to work with? The following SEO tricks are both simple and, more importantly, cheap to implement.

Use relevant keywords.

To rank well on Google, you need to gain a good understanding of how your target audience is searching. In other words, what are they typing into the search engine when they are looking for a property manager? Use free tools like Google Trends, Keywords Everywhere and Google Keyword Planner to pinpoint what keywords your prospects are using and then incorporate them into your content and throughout your property management website.

Produce quality content.

Nobody knows exactly what algorithm Google uses to rank websites, but we do know that priority is given to those containing high quality content. Creating content that your target audience would find valuable is a great way to draw them to your site. It’s also a great way to keep them there, which is another important factor in SEO ranking. Just remember – create content for people, not for search engines.

Focus on local.

Local SEO uses keywords that are specific to the geographic location of your business. Chances are, as a property manager, the people you are targeting are located in a specific area anyway. To that end, you should be focusing your time and resources toward ranking for local searches. For instance, if the properties you manage are in Houston, Texas, you might aim to rank for key phrases like “Houston property managers.”

Improve your site.

The majority of today’s searches are performed on mobile devices, which is why Google places an emphasis on mobile site performance. Make sure your site is optimized so that it loads quickly and performs well regardless of which type of device it’s accessed on. Use this free mobile-friendliness tool to assess your current site and check its speed using this tool. You should also routinely check your site to make sure there aren’t any broken links, which could also impact how it ranks on search engines.

Utilize meta descriptions.

When you perform a web search, the results appear along with a short excerpt or description. This is known as the meta description. If you don’t optimize this, it will simply pull the first few lines of the content of your page. But by optimizing this and making it more catchy, you’ll improve the likelihood of a visitor choosing to click on your links. When filling in the meta description, be sure to include the relevant keywords you’d like that content to rank for and keep it short, specific and compelling.

There are lots of property managers for your prospects to choose from. By investing in search engine optimization, you can vastly improve your odds of ranking at the top of the list of options, which will increase your visibility and boost your business. And thanks to the tips above, you can improve your SEO without having to spend an arm and a leg in the process.